


First and Second Kisses

by castles_and_crowns



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post-Star Wars: A New Dawn, Pre-Star Wars: Rebels, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-12 12:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12958869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castles_and_crowns/pseuds/castles_and_crowns
Summary: The stories of Hera and Kanan's first and second kisses, one told from each point of view.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like my other fic "Healing," this will be two chapters. One will be from Hera's POV and the other from Kanan's POV. Unlike "Healing," these two chapters are connected. This fic does, however, act as a standalone and is not connected to "Healing."
> 
> Also, obviously I am not Lucasfilm and did not create or own these characters. I just like playing in this world :)

The second Kanan walked onto the _Ghost_ , all of the flirting and the teasing ceased. Hera had expected at least some occasional and gentle ribbing and was completely surprised to find that Kanan acted totally professional.

 

Of course, she was relieved. Hera had never taken on a crewmember before—let alone a handsome one—and was pleased to see her new crewmember acting like a professional and not a sleazy barman.

 

Even with Kanan’s professionalism, the first few months were a learning experience for both of them. With the exception of family, Hera had never lived in close quarters with a man before, and Kanan had clearly never had a boss as demanding as Hera. Hera discovered that Kanan was messy and liked to sleep in, if they didn’t have an early morning assignment or job. She also learned that he liked to walk from the ‘fresher to his quarters shirtless and with his hair still dripping wet. The first time it happened, Hera was a bit thrown off—for more reasons than one—but she had quickly grown used to it. Or so she told herself.

 

After about five months though, Hera and Kanan had their routine down to a science. They’d take two or three jobs, in order to stack up on credits. Then, they’d fly to wherever Hera’s informant told them to fly and would take on typically small missions that basically caused a pain in the Empire’s side.

 

After a successful—and very lucrative—job, Hera and Kanan decided to celebrate by having a few drinks at the local cantina on Naboo, the current planet they were on. Celebrating wasn’t something they’d ever done before, but they were on such a high from their profitable job that they both agreed to, as Kanan put it, “Live a little.” Kanan ordered Port in a Storm, a notoriously strong wine from the planet of Pamarthe. Hera ordered a Tatooine Sunset, a fruity drink recommended to her by the bartender.

 

“Cheers!” Kanan said, raising his glass.

 

“Cheers!” Hera repeated, as she clinked her glass with Kanan’s. “You did a good job this time.”

 

Kanan took a sip of his drink, shuddered as he swallowed it down, and then raised an eyebrow at Hera. “ _This_ time?”

 

“Well, you always do an adequate job, but this time you were superb.”

 

Kanan tilted his head from side to side, as if he was considering Hera’s words and ultimately, he grinned. “I’ll take it. That’s high, high praise coming from you.”

 

Hera took another sip of her drink and shrugged. “Well, I don’t go around just giving out compliments for free, you know?”

 

“Oh, I know,” Kanan replied, chuckling, before taking another swallow of the wine. “Damn, I forgot how strong this stuff is.”

 

“Let me have a sip,” Hera ordered.

 

Kanan shook his head. “I don’t think so. When we’re not on a job or a mission, you’re not the boss of me.”

 

“Oh, c’mon,” Hera groaned. “Why not?”

 

“Because this stuff is strong. It’ll knock you off your feet pretty quickly.”

 

“I just asked for one sip!”

 

Kanan examined Hera’s face, and she did her best to appear threatening enough so that Kanan might relent and give her a sip. She must have pulled off the look because Kanan sighed, shook his head in resignation, and slid his glass towards Hera.

 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said in a voice that was almost parental.

 

Hera took the glass and lifted it to her lips. She took a small sip and shuddered violently. “This is engine fuel!”

 

Kanan laughed. “So you’re going to stick with your fruity drink?”

 

Hera would have stuck to her deliciously smooth Tatooine Sunset, but Kanan’s near mocking tone seemed to awaken Hera’s competitive side.

 

“No. I’m going to get one for myself.”

 

Kanan’s eyes widened as Hera got the bartender’s attention and asked for a glass of Port in a Storm.

 

“Hera, I was just messing with you. You don’t have to drink this stuff.”

 

“I know I don’t _have_ to. I _want_ to.”

 

An hour later, both Kanan and Hera were sufficiently drunk. Neither were yet at a point where they couldn’t walk or felt sick, but both of them were certainly experiencing a pretty nice buzz.

 

Hera, for the first time since she could remember, felt completely relaxed. It would have been alarming had her head not felt light and fuzzy. Currently though, she was exuberantly carefree.

 

It was clear to her that Kanan was the same way. He may not have been quite as drunk as she was—after all, human males metabolized alcohol much better than female Twi’leks—but it was obvious to Hera that Kanan was untroubled in a way she hadn’t seen before. On any day, Kanan was definitely more laidback than Hera, but Hera could tell that Kanan had secrets—secrets she suspected might have even been dark and heavy. It pleased her to see her shipmate relaxed in the same way she currently was.

 

Presently, Kanan and Hera were talking about Kanan’s experiences prior to coming on as a crewmember on the _Ghost._

“You’re telling me,” Hera began, her words slurring ever so slightly, “That you worked as a bouncer at a tavern run by the _Hutts_.”

 

“Well, it was a smaller place on an outer rim planet, but, yeah. Why? Do you think that’s cool?”

 

Hera, who up until this point hadn’t realized that both she and Kanan had gradually been leaning their faces closer together as they continued to imbibe, suddenly felt her face get hot. “I mean, I guess it makes you kind of cool.”

 

Kanan smirked, and again, Hera was acutely aware of how close their faces were.

 

“Kind of cool? Huh. I might have to get that in writing. No way you’d admit to me being cool when you’re sober.”

 

Hera attempted to laugh but instead hiccupped. This sent Kanan into a fit of giggles, and pretty soon both of them were laughing so hard that Hera had to grip the bar to keep from falling off of her barstool.

 

“Last call!” the Ithorian bartender announced.

 

“You want to get one more?” Kanan asked Hera.

 

Hera shook her head. “I think I’m good for tonight. What about you?”

 

“I’m definitely good. I’ll pay, and then we can head back to the ship.”

 

Kanan had been reaching for credits in his pocket, and Hera grabbed his arm to stop him. When she did, she felt an electricity run up her arm. She realized that she’d never intentionally _touched_ Kanan before. The feeling it elicited was weird and yet…welcome.

 

“I—I got it,” Hera said, feeling flustered as she let go of Kanan’s arm.

 

“No, it’s okay. You can get the drinks the next time.”

 

Kanan pulled out the appropriate number of credits and left them on the bar top. He hopped down from the barstool and then offered his hand to Hera to help her down. Hera looked at the hand suspiciously for a moment and then realized that she was pretty high up on the barstool and might not make a smooth landing if she jumped off of it on her own.

 

Hera put her hand in Kanan’s, and again a shockwave ran through her body. She hopped down and landed wobbly on her feet. She knew then that had she not taken Kanan’s hand, she would have fallen flat on her bottom.

 

They began walking toward the exit, and when they got halfway there, Hera realized that they were still holding hands. She also realized she didn’t want to let go.

 

Once they got outside, a cold gust of wind hit them both in the face. Hera, for one, was grateful for it, as her face had grown quite flushed between the alcohol and the handholding. It seemed to, at least partly, set her head straight, and she let go of Kanan’s hand. When she did, Kanan looked over at her. She didn’t turn to face him, mainly because she had suddenly become quite self-conscious.

 

Kanan must have gotten the hint because instead of commenting on the moment, he said, “Damn, my head is spinning. I’m going to feel this tomorrow.”

 

“Me too,” Hera said, grateful that Kanan was keeping the conversation neutral. “I’ve never drunk this much before.”

 

“Well, technically, you only had one and a half drinks. It just so happens that one of those drinks was arguably the strongest drink in the known galaxy. I believe you called it ‘engine fuel’.”

 

Hera chuckled as they turned a corner. “Yeah, I think I could power my ship with that stuff.”

 

“I still don’t know why you decided to drink it.”

 

Hera shrugged. “I guess I wanted to try something different.”

 

“I guess I understand that.”

 

“You know, we fly all over the galaxy. In the past five months, we’ve been to twenty-three different planets, but we never really stop to explore, to try the different cuisines, to learn about the culture. I just wanted to be a little adventurous, you know?”

 

“I know,” Kanan said. “I’m glad we did this.”

 

“Me too,” Hera replied.

 

They walked in silence for a few minutes. When they were about five minutes from the ship, Hera’s hand accidently brushed against Kanan’s. Her buzzing mind couldn’t help focusing on the brief touch and the two electric touches before it. Hera found herself wanting to touch Kanan again, but she knew she couldn’t do that. It would complicate things, and then likely damage everything beyond repair. _Right?_

“We should try to do this more often, Hera. I like hanging out with you,” Kanan commented.

 

“We hang out all the time on the ship,” Hera said, breaking away from her thoughts.

 

“You know what I mean. Tonight was really nice.”

 

Again, Hera felt Kanan’s glance on her. This time, she looked back at him. Their eyes locked, and in a low voice, Hera said, “It was really nice. I like hanging out with you too.”

 

Shockingly, Kanan seemed frozen. It was as if he wanted to do something but knew that he couldn’t be the one to make that decision for them. So Hera, throwing caution to the wind, decided to make the decision.

 

She lifted her face and crashed her lips to his. Now, that spark coursed through her whole body, almost continuously, and Hera found that her whole body—not just her head—felt wonderfully light.

 

Kanan threw his arms around Hera and pulled her closer to him. They continued kissing in the middle of the street for a moment, before Hera boldly grabbed Kanan’s gold shirt and pulled him into an alley.

 

“ _Hera_ ,” Kanan chuckled, surprised by her audacity.

 

“ _Shh,_ ” she hushed, giggling before going back to kissing him.

 

Hera wrapped her arms around Kanan’s neck, and Kanan placed his hands on her hips, gripping tightly. He eventually moved his lips from hers and began kissing her jaw and her neck. No one had ever kissed Hera like this before, and she found herself moaning softly into his ear.

 

]“Should we stop?” Kanan asked after a few minutes.

 

Hera knew that they should, but this moment was so new, so wonderful that she didn’t want it to end.

 

“No,” she whispered, removing her arms from around Kanan’s neck and grasping at his shirt.

 

Kanan didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled Hera even closer to him so that their bodies were practically smashed together. He returned his lips to hers, and they continued to kiss enthusiastically.

 

“ _Hey!_ ”

 

Hera and Kanan pulled apart and saw two storm troopers standing at the entrance of the alley.

 

“Get moving before we arrest you.”

 

Hera and Kanan looked at each other, grabbed hands, and ran past the storm troopers and towards their ship.

 

When they got there, they both broke into unstoppable giggles. Hera clutched her stomach as it vibrated with deep belly laughter.

 

“What a night!” Kanan exclaimed between laughs.

 

]Hera was laughing so hard that she couldn’t answer; she could barely even catch her breath. And then suddenly, she felt a cold sweat come over her. The merriment vanished, and Hera realized that she was seconds away from vomiting all over her ship’s floor.

 

\Without another word, she ran to the ‘fresher and puked her guts out. A few minutes later, Kanan knocked on the door.

 

“Hera? Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

 

“I don’t think. I just need to get this Pamarthe poison out of my system.”

 

“Okay, I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

 

Hera couldn’t reply because a new wave of nausea hit her and she threw up once more.

 

***

 

Hera woke up the next morning on the ‘fresher floor. She had an awful headache, but fortunately, she was no longer nauseated. Slowly, she rose to her feet, and as she did so, the events from last night came flooding back. _She had kissed Kanan. What in the worlds had possessed her to do that?_

“This is going to be awful,” Hera mumbled to herself as she quietly exited the ‘fresher.

 

She went to the galley to get some water and found Kanan there, making breakfast.

 

“I made you the best hangover food in the galaxy. How do you feel?”

 

“Not great, but it could be worse.”

 

“Same,” Kanan said, nodding.

 

Hera sat down in the semicircular booth, put her head in hands, and closed her eyes. She only opened them when she heard the plate clink as Kanan put it down in front of her.

 

“My specialty,” Kanan announced as he settled in the booth with his own plate. “It’s saved my ass on many occasions.”

 

Hera took a bite of the green mush on her plate and moaned in satisfaction. “This is amazing, Kanan. Thank you.”

 

“No problem. I figured you’d need it after last night.”

 

Hera finished chewing her current bite and then forced herself to look at Kanan. “About last night…”

 

“Yeah?” Kanan said, looking back at her and raising an eyebrow mischievously.

 

“It can’t happen again.”

 

Kanan’s face fell—but only the tiniest bit. He then nodded and smiled amiably. “Okay. You got it.”

 

“I mean, I know I initiated it, but—“

 

“ _Hera_ ,” Kanan said, putting his hand up to stop her from speaking. “It’s fine. It won’t happen again.”

 

Hera looked at him suspiciously, waiting for him to make a joke. She realized the joke wasn’t coming, and so she nodded in satisfaction.

 

“Okay then,” she said.

 

“Okay then,” Kanan replied.

 

Both of them went back to their breakfasts, and the rest of the day went on as normal as every other one since they’d started working together.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been 326 standard days since Kanan and Hera had kissed. Not that Kanan was counting.

After that drunken night, things had returned to normal. Sometimes, Kanan caught Hera staring at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. And occasionally, Kanan had dreams about them picking up where they left off that night. Other than that, both of them acted like that moment 326 nights ago had never happened.

Currently though, Kanan couldn’t focus too much on that memory from almost a year ago because he and Hera were running for their lives.

The two had come to Sullust to conduct a mission given to them by Hera’s mysterious informant, Fulcrum. Fulcrum had told Hera that there were two wealthy Sullustans who supposedly were interested in providing some financial aid toward the Rebellion. Fulcrum had never led them astray before, but Kanan knew better than most that there was a first time for everything.

The first Sullustan they had met with had, indeed, offered monetary support to the Rebellion, so there was no reason to believe the second Sullustan would be a problem. When they met with the second Sullustan man, however, he quickly revealed his true self. It turns out this Sullustan, called Lane Lunb, was friendly with the moff in this sector. He then ordered his private soldiers to arrest Kanan and Hera, while he waited for stormtroopers to arrive. Fortunately, Kanan and Hera had fought their way out of sticky situations before, and they fully planned on doing it again.

Before the soldiers, dressed in tight-fitted gold armor, could get their hands on them, Kanan and Hera began shooting their blasters at them and running toward the exit.

This meeting had taken place in a ritzy part of town, where the sky was decorated with magnificent fifty-floor buildings. Because they were currently on the highest floor of a large skyscraper, Kanan, who was just a few paces ahead of Hera, had decided it’d be best for them to run to the rooftop instead of attempting to go down a few dozen floors to the street. 

“Call Chopper. Give him our coordinates,” Kanan urgently said to Hera when they got to the roof.

“We can’t just hang out here, Kanan!” Hera exclaimed. “We got in a few good shots, but we still have at least four men on our tails.”

“We’re not. We’re going to jump to the next building. And then the next one. Until Chopper comes to our rescue.”

“I can’t make that jump,” Hera said, looking at Kanan like he was an idiot.

“But you can with my help. Do you trust me?”

Hera eyed Kanan cautiously.

“Hera, they’ll be up here in under a minute. Do you trust me?” 

Hera nodded.

“Okay,” Kanan said, running to the edge of the roof. “I’m going to jump to the next building. And then I’ll help you jump. You just need to leap as far as you can. I’ll do the rest. Got it?”

“Got it,” Hera replied. Kanan could tell she was trying to hide the shakiness that was creeping into her voice.

Kanan then smoothly jumped to the roof on the next building. “Okay, you ready?”

Hera’s eyes were wide as she looked at the six-meter gap between the roof she was standing on and the roof Kanan was now on. She then turned her head to the stairs they had just come up.

“They’re coming, Kanan!” Hera exclaimed.

“Hera, jump!” Kanan demanded, his heart beating nervously in his chest. She had to make the jump soon or she’d be captured. “You won’t fall. I promise.”

Hera gave one last look at the stairs and then turned back to Kanan. Without saying another word, she soared off the building. Kanan put his hands up, using the Force to guide Hera towards him. Kanan saw as Hera’s frightened eyes changed into eyes full of amazement.

Just like he knew she would, Hera made it safely to the rooftop Kanan was now on. She looked at Kanan, clearly astonished at what he could do. He offered her a small smile in response and then grabbed her arm, pulling her to the other side of the roof so that they could make the next jump. 

By this point, the soldiers had made it to the roof they had originally been on. Kanan turned his head and saw they were discussing what their next move would be.

“We just need to get as far away from them as we can. Did you call Chopper?”

Hera shook her head and then pressed her comlink on her arm. “Spectre-3, this is Spectre-2. I’m sending you our coordinates now. I need you to come get us. Stat.”

Chopper beeped in response, and Hera looked up at Kanan. “Another jump?”

“Yes. Same as the last.”

Again, Kanan leapt to the next roof and then aided Hera in her jump. They continued jumping further away from the roof they had originally been on, as they waited for Chopper to come pick them up.

By this point, they had drawn a great deal of attention to themselves—and not just from the soldiers. People down below were staring at the two of them, as they seemed to magically jump from building to building.

Finally, the ship flew overhead and the hatch came down. They were going to have to make one last jump.

“Alright,” Kanan said. “I’m going to go first again, and then I’ll help you get in.”

Hera nodded in response.

Kanan jumped expertly onto the ship and then motioned for Hera to leap. Hera did, and again, Kanan, through the Force, helped Hera aboard. Except this time, he released his Force-hold on her a moment too soon, and she stumbled onto the ship, knocking Kanan over and landing awkwardly on top of him.

Kanan was breathing heavily from all the exertion of the last few minutes. Lying on his back, he looked up at Hera, who was also panting, as she lay collapsed on top of him. They’d never been this close before. Well, except for that moment 326 days ago. Kanan sighed as he shook the memory from his head. Now was probably the worst time to think about their onetime kiss.

He awkwardly cleared his throat, and Hera lifted her head from where it was on his chest. She looked into his face, and Kanan swore that he saw something in her eyes that he hadn’t seen since the last time they kissed.

“Are—are you okay?” she finally asked, her voice low and still a little shaky.

“Yeah,” Kanan replied. “Are you?”

“Yeah.”

Kanan watched Hera carefully and saw her quickly glance down at his lips before meeting his eyes again. She let out a trembling laugh and then rolled off of him. 

Hera then stood up and offered her hand to Kanan. He accepted it, and she pulled him up.

“You’ve never used your powers like that before,” Hera commented when they were both on their feet.

Kanan rubbed the back of his neck, feeling sheepish. “I don’t like using them. And I don’t like to think of them as powers.”

“Special skills, then,” Hera replied. “Seriously, Kanan. Thank you. We wouldn’t have made it, if not for you.”

Kanan didn’t get embarrassed easily, but the one thing that did make him uncomfortable was anyone thinking he was some sort of hero, especially on account of him being a former Jedi padawan. 

“Don’t mention it,” he said, hoping that Hera would heed his words.

Hera offered Kanan a kind smile and then said, “I better go take the controls over from Chopper.”

Kanan chuckled. “Yeah, you better.”

Just then, the small starship shook violently. Kanan was thrown against the wall of the ship. The shake also hurled Hera toward the wall, and Kanan reached out with his arms to catch her so that she wouldn’t bang against the side of the ship.

With Hera now in his arms, Kanan thought to himself, We’ve barely touched each other in almost a year, and now we’re pressed up against each other for the second time in two minutes.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Kanan said, smirking down at Hera, as the shaking subsided. He thought if he joked with her, she’d be less uncomfortable with their current situation.

To his surprise though, Hera didn’t laugh, or even smile, in response. Instead, she looked up at Kanan, clearly searching his eyes for what to do next. 

“Hera,” Kanan said, his voice low and hoarse, as he moved his face down towards hers. Their faces were now mere centimeters apart. 

“Yes?” Hera asked softly, not moving her head. 

“You don’t have to be scared.”

Hera’s green eyes grew wide. “Scared of what?” 

“Of me…of us…of this,” Kanan told her. He could feel her almost shaking in his arms now.

“I—I’m not.”

“Okay,” Kanan said, not believing her one bit. Their heads were still nearly touching

“Okay?” she asked dubiously.

“Okay.”

Hera exhaled a shaky breath. “I guess I should go relieve Chopper now.”

“I guess you should,” Kanan responded.

But despite her words, Hera still didn’t move. She only continued looking up at Kanan, her eyes clearly filled with nervousness. When she bit her bottom lip, undoubtedly a subconscious move, it became immediately clear to Kanan that she had no intention of moving; she was waiting for Kanan to do something.

325 days ago, Hera told Kanan that what happened the night before couldn’t happen again. Kanan had agreed, knowing better than to argue with his captain, especially when his captain was Hera Syndulla. But now as he held her in his arms, with her not making any attempt to move away and looking up at him the way that she was, Kanan took it as his cue to kiss her.

He closed the gap between them and kissed her tenderly. The kiss was gentler and slower than their first kiss had been. After a few seconds, he pulled away.

“I know I wasn’t supposed to do that,” he said. “But I’m not sorry I did it.”

Her breath was hot and sweet on his face as she replied, “I’m not sorry you did it either.”

Kanan grinned at her for a moment, before pulling her back into him and kissing her with a passion quite similar to their first kiss. He slipped his tongue into Hera’s mouth as Hera ran her fingers through Kanan’s hair. The tingle of Hera’s fingers on his scalp sent a shiver down Kanan’s back that he couldn’t suppress. 

He had the sudden urge to tell Hera that he loved her—no, that he was in love with her. But he didn’t. He had already made one big move today. Kanan knew that if he made two big moves, it might scare Hera, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Finally, after a few minutes of frantic and hungry kissing, Kanan broke away and planted a soft kiss on Hera’s forehead. He then grabbed her hands in his and squeezed them.

“I don’t want to wait another 326 days to kiss you again.”

Hera’s eyes grew big with the realization that Kanan had been keeping count of the days since their last kiss, but she said nothing.

“I don’t want to wait that long again. I want to be able to kiss you all the time. I want to be able to hold your hand and to look at you freely without worrying about you catching me staring. I want to live out the endless dreams I’ve had about you. But if you don’t want that—if you can’t handle that right now—I’ll understand. And I’ll promise you that I won’t try anything else again.”

“I want all of that too, Kanan,” Hera said. Her voice was quaking again.

“You do?” 

“I do. I don’t know how to do any of this,” Hera told him, motioning to the space between them. Her voice had grown stronger and more confident. “And you're right. It does scare me. But I want all of the things you said.”

Kanan smiled. “You don't need to be scared. I don’t really know how to do any of this either. But we can figure it out together.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Just then, Chopper beeped to Hera over the comlink on her arm. He was berating her for leaving him to pilot the ship through a sky that was now growing dark and thundery. That explains the ship shaking, Kanan thought.

“I really should go to the cockpit this time,” Hera said, grinning.

“I’ll come with you,” Kanan replied.

Hera took Kanan’s hand, and the two made their way to the cockpit.


End file.
